BIB-201
Advanced Hermeneutics & Exegesis
Building on BIB-101, producing full exegetical papers — from the original-language text, through historical and literary context, to a defensible interpretation.
Topics: Exegesis, Original-language exegesis, Defensible argument
Suggested resource: Apply your new Greek and Hebrew tools directly to one passage per assignment.
Week 1: From Text to Original Languages
Reading: Practical exercise — no reading assigned
A full exegetical paper starts by establishing the best available reading of the text itself, checking major manuscripts and translations for significant variants, before moving into the original-language words and grammar. This week, practice pulling apart a short passage word by word using your new Greek or Hebrew tools, noting anything the original language clarifies, complicates, or adds that an English-only reading would miss.
Key terms: Textual basis, Original-language analysis, Manuscript variants
Discussion Questions
- What did working in the original language add to a passage you thought you already understood well?
Challenge: Choose a short passage (3–5 verses) and produce a full word-by-word original-language breakdown.
Week 2: Historical and Literary Context in Depth
Reading: Practical exercise — no reading assigned
Beyond the basic context questions from BIB-101, graduate-level exegesis means researching the actual historical circumstances behind a passage, who the original audience was, what was happening politically and culturally, and what literary genre and structure the passage uses, since genre alone changes how a passage should be read. This depth of research is what separates a devotional reading of a passage from a defensible academic exegesis of it.
Key terms: Historical background research, Genre analysis, Devotional vs. academic reading
Discussion Questions
- How does knowing a passage's genre change what kind of claims you can responsibly make from it?
Challenge: Research the specific historical situation behind one epistle passage and write a paragraph on how that context shapes its meaning.
Week 3: Writing a Full Exegetical Paper
Reading: Practical exercise — no reading assigned
Bring everything together this week: choose one passage, establish its text and original-language meaning, research its context, and write a complete short exegetical paper defending a specific interpretation, engaging at least one alternative reading and explaining why you find your own more persuasive. This is graduate-level work in the fullest sense, and it's also directly useful: a well-done exegetical paper on a key passage is a resource you can return to for years of future teaching.
Key terms: Full exegetical paper, Engaging alternative readings, Defensible interpretation
Discussion Questions
- What alternative interpretation of your chosen passage did you find most worth taking seriously, even if you ultimately disagreed with it?
Challenge: Write a complete exegetical paper (2–4 pages) on one passage, following the full process from this course.
Course Exam
Five questions for review or self-testing.
Q: What's the first step in a full exegetical paper?
Reveal Answer
Establishing the best available reading of the text itself, checking manuscripts and translations for significant variants.
Q: Why does a passage's literary genre matter for interpretation?
Reveal Answer
Genre changes what kind of claims can responsibly be made from a passage (narrative vs. poetry vs. epistle, for example).
Q: What should a complete exegetical paper include besides your own interpretation?
Reveal Answer
Engagement with at least one alternative reading, explaining why yours is more persuasive.
Q: What separates devotional reading from academic exegesis?
Reveal Answer
The depth of historical, literary, and original-language research behind the interpretation.
Q: What tools from GRK-201/HEB-201 does this course apply directly?
Reveal Answer
Original-language word-by-word analysis of a chosen passage.